US Holidays - Independence Day
The United States is considered a traditional country, which is why it has so many holidays that have been going on since the founding of the state
One of these most important and ancient holidays is Independence Day, an important moment in the history of America, when it seceded from the British Empire and became a free power
In 1775, the United Colonies of the American Continent began military operations against England, at first they simply wanted to defend their rights, and then completely separate from the empire On June 7, 1775, at the Continental Congress, Virginia representative Henry Lee introduced a motion to “dissolve all ties” with England To prepare documents on the secession of America, a commission of five people was formed, headed by Thomas Jefferson On June 28, the papers were presented to the Confederate Council for consideration After the adjustment was made, the Declaration of Independence was unanimously signed by all thirteen representatives from each state The official signing ceremony of the document took place on August 2, 1776, where the document was endorsed by 56 prominent US figures (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Hancock, Charles Thomson, etc)
The holiday is celebrated at the federal level; in fact, it is one of the main holidays in the country It is considered a day off; almost all state-owned enterprises (private at the discretion of the owners) do not work to give their employees the opportunity to fully enjoy the holiday festivities: take part in a festive procession, watch a concert or go to a barbecue with the whole family
One of the most important events of this celebration is the main Independence Parade in Washington Everyone goes out to the central streets, which are decorated with national flags, sing their favorite songs, have fun and relax Many families love to spend this day outdoors, cooking meat over a fire and playing fun games Americans try to dress and decorate their homes in red, blue and white, the primary colors of the American flag
According to tradition, the holiday ends with a grandiose fireworks display, which paints the night sky in bright colors in different parts of the vast country Every year the fireworks show becomes more colorful, it is combined with a musical concert, broadcast live on television, but still a huge number of residents come to central cities to see this grandiose performance live
1 The original document of the Declaration of Independence is stored in the Federal Archives, in a transparent bulletproof glass box and is considered a national treasure
2 There was a time in US history when the level of security threat was very high (50-60 of the 20th century), then the country's leadership banned any fireworks displays Today, any American citizen can arrange his own mini-show for only $3-5 However, in some regions fireworks are still prohibited (Nebraska, Colorado)
3 Independence Day only became a national holiday in 1870
4 At noon on July 4th, at every US military base, one salvo of artillery is fired, which is called the “union salute”
5 The largest fireworks display in the entire history of Independence occurred in 2009, when 22 tons of pyrotechnics flew into the sky
6 In a mysterious coincidence, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both of whom took part in the signing of the Decoration and later became US Presidents at different times, died on the same day, on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Document of Independence, July 4, 1826